To our essential ECE workers still out there in the field, today I’m writing for you.
Abbi Kruse, Director at The Playing Field, a center in Wisconsin, and creator of the group Essential not Expendable recently wrote something that I immediately knew I wanted to share with you.
Abbi shares...
“While K-12 schools were closed across the country, early childhood programs in most states have been encouraged to remain open.
Children are not permitted to visit their families or attend play dates, yet, they are still allowed to gather in groups at child care.
Of course, this isn’t safe but, in a rush to assure essential service providers can continue serving in their vital roles, the risk to young children is being dismissed. (The New York Times recently reported that 6% of children with COVID-19 will develop severe symptoms.)
Our essential service providers certainly need and deserve child care. However, they should never be asked to place their own child at risk in order to serve our communities! Many of these families are struggling without adequate help to keep their children at home where they know they are safest.
Early childhood teachers are also being exposed to a deadly virus by children who may or may not display symptoms. There is no personal protective equipment for child care providers and young children certainly don’t practice social distancing. Advice being offered by the CDC is not only confusing but impractical and ignores the basic operations of child care programs.
These guidelines give parents and child care programs the belief that there are adequate safety standards in place. However, if adequate safety measures actually exist for children and teachers, there would have been no reason to close K-12 schools.
If we are all safer at home, then our babies and young children are safest there as well.
Our leaders should do everything possible to protect our youngest citizens, their families, and caregivers.
Rhode Island has set the example by closing all early childhood programs along with K-12 schools. They then utilized care.com to match teachers with families in essential roles.
Our legislators must be encouraged to act in the best interest of children by adapting existing funding sources to meet the current need.
If we do not act, we may only realize the damage done when this crisis has passed and our children have been harmed.”
The current pandemic has shined a fluorescent, pointed light on the ways that as a society, we have severely taken for granted the work that so many essential workers do.
This structural and societal disregard is reflected in low pay and lack of benefits. These two things are upsetting during the best of times but are devastating under the current circumstances.
While I’m sure it’s no news to you that early childhood workers are not given pay and respect commensurate with the importance of the job, I thought Abbi’s articulation of how that’s putting teachers, young children, and babies in harm’s way was a must-read for everyone in our field. And, well...for everyone (feel free to forward this).
Furthermore, for me, learning that Rhode Island had found another way was a revelation!
There is another way.
What can we do to make that happen?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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By the way, THIS WEEK ONLY if you register for the 3rd annual Transform Challenging Behavior Online Conference you’ll receive an invitation to a special webinar for ECE Essential workers (and those that care about them).
I hope you’ll join me.
ECE Essential Workers: Practical & FUN Strategies to Support You and The Children
3pm US Pacific time on Sunday April 26
Replay will be sent if you can’t join live!
In this webinar you’ll learn…
The most essential facts you need to know about trauma, while teaching during a pandemic
How mindfulness might sound like some floofy yoga thing you want to avoid but could actually be essential for you as an essential worker
A super fun way to help children cope with what’s going on (I told you I wasn’t all doom and gloom)
Probably at least 1 more thing!
RESERVE YOUR SPOT: challengingbehaviorconference.com